Fair Value of Financial Instruments

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2015

4. Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying values of our financial instruments including cash equivalents, marketable securities, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate their fair value due to their short-term nature. As a basis for determining the fair value of certain of our assets and liabilities, we established a three-tier fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows: (Level I) observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets; (Level II) inputs other than the quoted prices in active markets that are observable either directly or indirectly; and (Level III) unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data which requires us to develop our own assumptions. This hierarchy requires us to use observable market data, when available, and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs when determining fair value. Our financial assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis consist of cash equivalents and marketable securities.

All of our cash equivalents and current restricted cash, which are comprised primarily of money market funds, are classified within Level I of the fair value hierarchy because they are valued using quoted market prices or market prices for similar securities. Our restricted short-term marketable securities are classified within Level I of the fair value hierarchy.

As of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the fair value hierarchy for our financial assets that are carried at fair value was as follows (in thousands), and unrealized gains (losses) on all financial assets for all periods presented were less than $1.0 million:

	June 30, 2015								December 31, 2014
	Fair Value		Level I		Level II		Level III		Fair Value		Level I		Level II		Level III
Money market funds	$	349,556	$	349,556	$	—	$	—	$	1,275,346	$	1,275,346	$	—	$	—
U.S. treasury bills		16,662		16,662		—		—		16,673		16,673		—		—
Total	$	366,218	$	366,218	$	—	$	—	$	1,292,019	$	1,292,019	$	—	$	—

As of June 30, 2015, the estimated fair value of our 2018 Notes, 2019 Notes, and 2021 Notes was $1.44 billion (par value $659.8 million), $908.5 million (par value $920.0 million), and $1.36 billion (par value $1.38 billion). As of December 31, 2014 the estimated fair value of our 2018 Notes, 2019 Notes, and 2021 Notes was $1.22 billion (par value $659.8 million), $852.2 million (par value $920.0 million), and $1.25 billion (par value $1.38 billion). These fair values represent Level II valuations. When determining the estimated fair value of our long-term debt, we used a commonly accepted valuation methodology and market-based risk measurements that are indirectly observable, such as credit risk. As of June 30, 2015, the $114.3 million carrying value of our Warehouse Facility liability and $50 million carrying value of our Asset Backed Credit Facility approximates the fair value of these borrowings.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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